Introducer



Aug. 10, 1948. w. L. SCHMITZ, JR 2,446,724

INTRODUGER Filed April 11, 1945 INVENTOR. W/Ll/AM L 30/01/72 J2.

' Ilia/776195 atented Aug. 10, 1948 ED STATES ATENT OFF-ICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to an introducer for inserting diaphragm pessaries into the Vaginal cavity.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved introducer which is of relatively simple and durable construction and which can be economically manufactured and which serves to releasably hold a diaphragm pessary in stretched position for introduction into the vaginal cavity and which will easily and positively effect a release of the pessary from the instrument.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide an improved introducer consisting of two members connected together for relative pivotal movement therebetween, one of said members being adapted to have a diaphragm pessary applied to the forward end thereof and the other of said members having a handle extending rearwardly from the point of pivot, the two members cooperating together to releasably hold the rear side of the pessary stretched from the forward side so that on causing relative pivotal movement to take place between th members by a simple manipulation of the handle, the rear side of the pessary will be automatically and positively released so as to thus position and deposit the pessary in the vaginal cavity.

Another object of the invention is to provide an introducer consisting of a supporting or positioning member and a handle member, these being pivotally connected together intermediate the ends of the supporting or positioning member.

with the supporting or positioning member having its forward end so shaped as to receive and support the forward side of the rim of a diaphragm pessary and with the handle member equipped with a shoulder on which the rear side of the rim of the pessary may be seated to hold the pessary in stretched position with the rear end of the positioning member arranged adjacent the shoulder so as to cam or dislodge the rear side of the rim from the shoulder on the handle member when relative pivotal movement takes place between the members.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved introducer consisting of a supporting or positioning member and a handle member pivotally connected together with the supporting member having its ends so shaped as to receive and seat diametrically opposite portions of the rim of the pessary thereon to hold it in stretched position and with the handle member providing a cam surface for dislodging the rear portion of the pessary from the rear end of the supporting member when relative movement takes place between the members so as to thus effect a release of the rear of the pessary from the instrument.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will be made manifest in the following de tailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved introducer, a diaphragm pessary being illustrated as applied thereto, the pessary being shown in phantom lines;

Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation of the instrument shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away and shown in vertical section, the parts being shown in the position assumed prior to effecting a release of the pessary;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating the pessary as having been released from the instrument; and

Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of an introducer embodying an alternative form of construction, the instrument being shown in full lines in that position prior to the releas of the pessary and in dotted lines in that position assumed by the instrument to effect a release of the pessary.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the improved introducer comprises two members It and l l pivotally connected as at I2 intermediate the ends of the member [8. The member H] has its forward end transversely notched as at l3 to seat or partially receive the forward side of the rim of the pessary P. Member ll provides a downwardly and rearwardly extending handle that extends rearwardly from the pivot l 2 and from the head or body 14 that has a slot or passage l5 extending longitudinally therethrough and in which the rear end of the supporting or positioning member I!) is disposed. The rear member I l provides a pair of shoulders It on opposite sides of the slot or passage IE, on which shoulders the rear side of the pessary P is adapted to be seated to hold the pessary in stretched ovate form. The rear end of the supporting or positioning member IE1 is provided with an upwardly and forwardly inclined camming surface I! arranged adjacent the shoulders It.

The operation and advantages of the abovedescribed construction are as follows: In applying the pessary P the forward side of its rim is positioned in the notch l3 and it is stretched or rendered ovate in form to position the rear pore 3 tion of the rim, which is diametrically opposite the forward portion, on the shoulders [6. The tension of the pessary tends to swing the positioning member it in a clockwise direction about its pivot 12 thus maintaining the camming surface I'! below the shoulders or in other words, in the position shown in Fig. 2. When thus applied the instrument and the pessary may be inserted in the vaginal cavity, the end of the handle providing a finger rest at [8 for the index finger of the user for moving the instrument and the applied pessary into the vagina. When the pessary has been thus properly inserted, the handle H- is swung downwardly slightly so that the handlemember pivots about the pivot l2 relative to the member ID. The member I is induced to remain in its position by the engagement between the sides of the pessary and the vagina walls. This downward movement of the handle H relative to the member If] causes the shoulders It to droprelative to thecamming surface H. The camming surface thus cams or dislodges the rear portion of the rim of the pessary from the shoulders, permitting the pessary to tend to return to its normal circular form. The pessary, in returning from its stretched condition to its normal position, becomes applied to the cervix. The handle ll may then be withdrawn causing the instrument to be removedfrom beneath the applied pessary.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the improved introducer is of extremely simple and durable construction, being merely formed of two relatively simple parts properly shaped and pivotally connected together. Preferably, all surfaces are rounded or streamlined and the arrangement is such that by the mechanical advantages present a positive release of the rear portion of the rim of the pessary is effected.

In the construction illustrated in, Fig. 4, the introducer comprises a supporting or-positioning member 29 and a handlememberil, these parts being pivotally connected together, at 22; The handle member has a body with a passage 23 extending longitudinally therethrough, through which the rear end of thesupporting member extends. The forward end of. the positioning member is transversely notched as at 24.to receive or seat the forward side of the pessary rim. Similarly, the rear-end'of the positioning member is notched asat 25 to receive or seatthe rear or diametrically opposite side of. the pessary rim. The sides of the handle member at the rear end of the passage 23 slope downwardly and rearwardly and provided cam surfaces 21 are arranged on the handle member adjacent the rear end of the supporting or positioning member20. In this form of construction the pessary is stretched and applied between the forward and-rear ends of'the positioning member 20 and the instrument is thrust into the vaginal cavity by applyingthe index finger to the finger rest 26 with the handle member 2| in its lowermost or full-line position as illustrated in Fig. 4. When the pessary has been fu-lly inserted the handle member is caused to swing upwardly about pivot 22 relative to the member 20 so that the inclined surfaces-21 cam or dislodge the rear portion of the pessary rim from the notch 25 thus releasing the pessary and permitting withdrawal of the introducer.

It will be appreciated'from the nature of the constructions illustrated that theimproved introducer serves tomaintain and support the pessary-stretched between two-points'and that the two parts thereof mutually cooperate to releasably hold the rear edge of the pessary rim until such time as a small change in angular relationship between the parts takes place. When such change in the angular relationship takes place, the rear portion of the rim of the pessary is positively and automatically dislodged and released to thus detach the pessary from the introducer and permit withdrawal of the introducer.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A- device of the class described comprising a positioning member notched at its forward end to seat the forward side of a pessary rim, a handle member pivotally connected to the positioning member intermediate the ends of the positioning member, said hand-1e member having a passage therethrough through which the rear end of the positioning member extends, one of said members providing a seat to seat the rear portion of a pessary rim adjacent the rear end of the positioning member and the other of said members presenting a cam surface adjacent said seat for dislodging the pessary rim upon relative movement taking place between the members.

2. A device of the class described comprising a positioning member notched at its forward end to receive the forward side of a pessary rim, a passaged handle member pivotally connected to the positioning member intermediate the ends of the positioning member, said positioning member being disposed in the passage said handle member providing a seat on which the rear side of the pessary rim may be positioned, the rear end of the positioning member presenting a cam surface engageable with the pessary rim and adapted to dislodge it upon relative movement taking place between the handle member and the positioning member.

3. A device of the class described comprising a positioning member notched at opposite ends to receive diametrically opposite portions of a pessary rim, a handle member pivotally connected to the positioning member intermediate the ends of the positioning member, said handle member providing cam surfaces engageable with the rear portion of the pessary rim to dislodge it from the rear end of the positioning member when relative pivotal movement takes place between the handle member and-the positioning member.

4. A device of the class described comprising a handle member, a positioning member pivoted intermediate its ends to the handle member adjacent the forward end of the handle member, the forward end of the positioning member having a seat for seating one side of therim of a pessary, one of said members providing a seat for the opposite side of the rim of the pessary adjacent the rear end of the positioning member and arranged to be dislodged therefrom by the other of said members upon relative pivotal movement between the members.

5. A device of the class described comprising a handle member, a positioning member pivoted intermediate its ends to the handle member adjacent the forward end of the handle member, the forward end of the positioning member having a seat for seating one side of the rim of' a pessary, one of said members providing a, seat for the'opposite side of the rim of the pessary adjacent the rear end of the positioning member, and means on the other of said members for dislodging the last mentioned side of the rim from its seat upon relative pivotal movement taking place between the members.

6. A device of the class described comprising a handle member having a handle by which the device may be supported and manipulated, a positioning member pivoted adjacent the forward end of the handle member, the forward end of the positioning member projecting forwardly beyond the forward end of the handle member and having a seat for the application thereto of the forward side of a pessary rim, one of said members providing a seat for the rearward side of the pessary rim at a location where the immediately adjacent portion of the rim at the rearward side of the pessary is engageable by the other of said members, upon pivotal movement taking place between the members, to dislodge the rearward side of the pessary rim from the last mentioned seat.

7. A device of the class described comprising a handle member having a handle by which the device may be supported and manipulated, a positioning member mounted for limited rocking movement on the handle member adjacent the forward end of the handle member, the major portion of the length of the positioning member extending forwardly of the axis of rocking movement and providing a seat for the application thereto of the forward side of a pessary rim, one of said members providing a seat for the opposite side of the pessary rim disposed rearwardly of the axis of rocking movement and at a location where the immediately adjacent portion of said opposite side of the pessary rim is engageable by the other of said members, to dislodge said opposite side of the pessary rim from the last mentioned seat upon relative rocking movement taking place between the members.

8. A device of the class described comprising a handle member having a handle by which the device may be supported and manipulated, a positioning member pivoted adjacent the forward end of the handle member, the forward end of the positioning member projecting forwardly beyond the forward end of the handle member and having a seat for the application thereto of the forward side of a pessary rim, a handle member providing a seat for the rearward side of the pessary rim at a location where the immediately adjacent portion of the rim at the rearward side of the pessary is engageable by the positioning member, upon pivotal movement taking place between the members, to dislodge the rearward side of the pessary rim from the last mentioned seat.

9. A device of the class described comprising a handle member having a handle by which the device may be supported and manipulated, a positioning member pivoted adjacent the forward end of the handle member, the forward end of the positioning member projecting forwardly beyond the forward end of the handle member and having a seat for the application thereto of the forward side of a pessary rim, the rearward end of the positioning member providing a seat for the rearward side of the pessary rim at a location where the immediately adjacent portion of the rim at the rearward side of the pessary is engageable by the handle member, upon pivotal movement taking place between the members, to dislodge the rearward side of the pessary rim from the last mentioned seat.

WILLIAM L. SCHMITZ, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 496,711 Thompson May 2, 1893 2,101,875 Schleicher Dec. 14, 1937 2,104,275 Schleicher Jan. 4, 1938 2,332,283 Weiner Oct. 19, 1943 2,376,193 Salvin May 15, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 122,872 Germany July 30, 1901 30 Great Britain Jan. 2, 1911 

